Liquid waste disposal and canister flushing system and method

ABSTRACT

A liquid waste disposal and canister flushing system for a medical canister including a press-fit canister lid, features a cabinet with an opening and a sink with a drain positioned therein. A mounting bracket is affixed to the cabinet and includes a shaft connected to the canister bracket for rotating the canister and a shaft connected to the lid removal bracket for removing the canister lid from the canister. The canister is secured within the canister bracket and is rotated from an initial position to a drainage position. The canister lid is positioned on the removal bracket and is rotated from an initial position to a removal position. Once the canister is rotated into the drainage position, the pressurized and diluted cleaning solution source is activated to flush the contents out of the canister and into the sink and drain. After the canister is sanitized it may be removed from the system and reused.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/870,215 filed May 30, 2001, currently pending,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/483,295 filed Jan. 14, 2000, and issued on Jul. 24, 2001, as U.S.Pat. No. 6,263,887.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] I. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to liquid waste disposaland canister flushing, and in particular to the disposal of liquidmedical waste from containers which are flushed and cleaned to permitreuse.

[0004] II. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Various forms of liquid waste are commonly encountered in avariety of different situations. For example, liquid medical wastes arecommonly produced in surgery and other medical procedures. Such wastescan include blood and other body fluids of patients, and major surgerycan produce a number of containers of such waste from a single patient.Liquid medical waste generates significant disposal problems due to itspossible contamination with various infectious diseases, including AIDS,hepatitis, MRSA and tuberculosis. In an effort to combat the risksassociated with handling such liquid medical wastes and to protectmedical personnel from the spread of infectious diseases, disposalprocedures have become increasingly complicated and expensive.

[0006] One type of disposal procedure for liquid medical wastes involvesemptying the waste canisters from surgery into specially designedplumbing fixtures. However, this procedure can involve risks associatedwith splash back and aerosolization whereby medical personnel can beexposed to the waste and bacteria present therein.

[0007] Another type of procedure involves the centralized collection ofthe waste with specially designed equipment having a liquid wastereservoir that must periodically be dumped. Such equipment is generallyrelatively expensive and can add significantly to the cost of equippinga hospital operating room or other treatment facility.

[0008] Yet another method of disposing of liquid medical waste involvesmixing it with a solidifying agent in the container. The medical wastein the container is then disposed of pursuant to regulations governingthe disposal of bio-hazardous waste. The disadvantages with thisdisposal method include the cost of the canister, which becomes asingle-use item, and the extra charges for disposing of bio-hazardouswaste, which is sometimes referred to as “red bag” waste.

[0009] Liquid medical waste disposal procedures can come under rules andregulations imposed by various governmental and regulatory agencies,including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), theFood and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC)and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

[0010] Heretofore there has not been available a liquid medical wastedisposal system and method with the advantages and features of thepresent invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A liquid waste disposal and canister flushing system for acanister having a press fit lid features a cabinet having an openingwith a hinged lid. A sink is positioned within the cabinet andcommunicates with a drain. A mounting bracket is affixed to the cabinetand includes a motor, a shaft connected to a canister bracket, and ashaft connected to a lid removal bracket. A canister sealed with a pressfit canister lid is positioned in the canister bracket. As the canisteris secured to the canister bracket the lid is loosened and positioned ona lid removal bracket. The cabinet is then closed. The canister isautomatically rotated by the canister bracket to an inverted positionwithin the chamber so that the contents drain out of the canister. Thecanister lid is rotated, relative to the canister, by the lid removalbracket to a position displaced from the canister and released so thatit falls into a disposal collection tray. A pressurized cleaningsolution and water are activated and sprayed within the chamber so thatthe canister is flushed and its contents drain into the sink and downthe drain. Once the canister is sanitized it may be removed from thesystem and reused.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The principal objects and advantages of the present inventioninclude: providing a liquid waste disposal and canister flushing system;providing such a system which facilitates the relatively inexpensivedisposal of medical waste; providing such a system which permits safereuse of medical waste containers; providing such a system which isrelatively easily adapted for use with existing medical wastecontainers; providing such a system which reduces the splashing ofmedical waste being disposed; providing such a system which can reducethe hazards associated with handling and disposing of medical waste;providing such a system which facilitates the discharge of medical wasteinto a sewer system; providing such a system which can reduce the amountof disposable components associated with medical waste disposal;providing such a system which provides effective neutralization ofvarious bacteria and infection sources; providing such a system which isusable by medical personnel with relatively little training; providingsuch a system with a control system which is at least partiallyautomated; providing such a system which is relatively portable;providing such a system which is relatively compact; providing such asystem which can be installed with relatively simple plumbing andelectrical connections; providing such a system which is economical tomanufacture and use, efficient in operation, capable of a long operatinglife and generally well adapted for the proposed usage thereof;providing a liquid medical waste disposal and canister flushing method;providing such a method which is relatively efficient; providing such amethod which is relatively safe; providing such a method which isrelatively economical and providing such a method which is particularlywell adapted for the proposed usage thereof.

[0013] Other objects and advantages of this invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration andexample, certain embodiments of this invention.

[0014] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate variousobjects and features thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a partially broken-away frontal perspective view of anembodiment of the liquid medical waste disposal and canister flushingsystem of the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 2 is a fragmented front sectional view of the liquid medicalwaste disposal and canister flushing system of FIG. 1 taken along line2-2.

[0017]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the canister bracket and the lidremoval bracket.

[0018]FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the canister bracket.

[0019]FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the canister bracket of FIG. 4Ataken along line 4B-4B.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lid removal bracket.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a side view of the rotate bracket and the canister intheir initial position with the canister lid attached to the canister.

[0022]FIG. 7 is a side view of the canister bracket and the canister ina rotated position and with the canister lid supported by the removalbracket.

[0023]FIG. 8 is a side view of the canister bracket and the canister ina 90 degree rotated position and the canister lid supported by theremoval bracket.

[0024]FIG. 9 is a side view of the canister bracket and the canister ina rotated position for drainage and the lid removal bracket in a furtherrotated position where by the canister lid is positioned to fall off theremoval bracket.

[0025]FIG. 10A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of therotating mechanism with the canister rotation mechanism including aremoval bracket combined with a lid grip to remove the canister lid fromthe canister.

[0026]FIG. 10B is an enlarged top view of the lid gripping mechanism forthe removal bracket.

[0027]FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the plumbing system for thesystem of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] A preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention isindicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A cabinet 312 features an opening 314 thatmay be covered by a hinged lid 316. A sink 320 is formed within thecabinet so that a chamber 322, which may be accessed through opening314, is defined. The sink communicates with a drain 324 which leads to aplumbing system so that waste disposed in the sink is carried out of thehospital. As described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,717,drain 324 may optionally communicate with a holding tank for treatingthe waste before it leaves the hospital. A control panel 326 ispositioned upon the cabinet for ease of access by the system operator.

[0029] A canister rotation mechanism 330 is affixed to the cabinet 312as best seen in FIG. 2. The canister 350 is supported by a rotatabledevice such as a canister bracket 332 and the press fit canister lid 356is supported by the lid removal bracket 338 of the canister rotationmechanism 330. A disposal collection tray 328 is affixed to the cabinet312. The disposal collection tray 328 is positioned above the sink 320and under the rotated position of the lid removal bracket 338 so that itreceives the canister lid 356 after it falls from the lid removalbracket 338.

[0030] The canister rotation mechanism for use in the system of FIG. 1is indicated in general at 330 in FIG. 3. The canister rotationmechanism 330 is connected to the cabinet 312 by a mounting bracket 340.The rotation mechanism 330 includes the mounting bracket 340, a motor343, pulleys 341, timing belts 342, a shaft 331 connected to a canisterbracket 332, and a shaft 336 connected to a lid removal bracket 338. Theshafts 331 and 336 are motorized and are connected via pulleys andtiming belts such that the shafts simultaneously rotate the canisterbracket 332 containing canister 350 and the lid removal bracket 338holding canister lid 356 (shown in FIG. 7) in the same direction, e.g.,clockwise. Alternative mechanisms, may be used to rotate the brackets,the canister and the canister lid such as a chain and sprocket, gears,or bearings, and the canister bracket may be rotated either before orafter the lid removal bracket is rotated.

[0031] The canister 350 is also illustrated in FIG. 3. The canister 350includes a body portion 351 with a truncated, generally frustoconicalshape. The canister 350 has an open top with three, equally spaced,horizontally extending tabs 352 that are positioned approximately oneinch from the top of the canister 350. The canister 350 also has acircumferential rim 353. The canister may be molded from polycarbonateplastic, which is reusable and autoclavable up to 220° F., or othermaterials such as Radel plastic, which is autoclavable up to 321° F.

[0032] The canister bracket 332 is circular with an inner edge 346 andouter edge 347. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the canister bracket332 includes three notches 333 cut out of the inner edge 346 with slightramp surfaces 335 positioned along the underside adjacent to the notches333. FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the canister bracket 332 taken alongline 4B-4B. FIG. 4B illustrates a slight ramp surface 335 adjacent to anotch 333 of the canister bracket 332.

[0033] As seen in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the lid removal bracket338 is located above the canister bracket 332. The canister lid 356(FIG. 6) includes a circumferential lip 357 which rests on the lower rim349 (FIG. 5) of the lid removal bracket 338 when the canister 350 isplaced in the rotation mechanism.

[0034]FIG. 5 illustrates the details of the circular lid removal bracket338. An upper rim 348 and a lower rim 349 form the top surface. Thelower rim 349 includes a slightly elevated portion 370 towards the backof the lid removal bracket 338. The slightly elevated portion 370assists in the removal of the canister lid when the canister ispositioned in the canister bracket 332 and lid removal bracket 338. Thelower rim 349 also includes an indentation 372 in the front of the lidremoval bracket 338. The indentation 372 provides a guide for thecanister when it is inserted into the canister bracket 332. Morespecifically, one of the canister tabs, illustrated at 352 in FIG. 3,must be oriented to pass through the indentation 372 of the lid removalbracket 338 and the notch 333 (FIG. 4A) of the canister bracket 332 whenthe canister 350 is inserted in the cabinet 312 (FIG. 1). The lidremoval bracket 338 also includes two upright projections 374 positionedon the upper rim 348 towards the back of the lid removal bracket 338.The upright projections 374 direct the removed canister lid 356 when thelid removal bracket 338 rotates.

[0035]FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the canister lid 356 which includes apatient port 358 and a vacuum port 359 integrally molded onto the topsurface of the canister lid 356. The canister lid 356 is removablysecured to the canister 350 in a press-fit fashion and has a lip largerthan the rim of the canister 350. The canister lid may be molded from,for example, polystyrene plastic.

[0036] As previously described in FIG. 5, the lid removal bracket 338 isa circular bracket. It includes an upper rim 348 and a lower rim 349.The lower rim 349 allows the lower surface of the circumferential lip ofthe canister lid 356 to rest there when the canister 350 is positionedin the canister bracket 332. The lid removal bracket 338 rotates in thesame direction as the canister bracket 332 to a point where the lid 356will fall off the lid removal bracket 338 into the disposal collectiontray 328 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0037] Once the material in the canister 350 is ready to be disposed of,the canister 350 is positioned within the canister bracket 332 with itsthree horizontally extending tabs 352 passing through the three notches333 on the canister bracket 332. (See FIG. 6) When the canister 350 withthe lid 356 attached, is placed in the canister bracket 332, thecircumferential lip of the canister lid 356 rests on the lower rim 349of the lid removal bracket 338. The operator rotates the canister 350about a vertical axis approximately 10 to 30 degrees counter clockwiseso that the three horizontally extending canister tabs 352 travel alongthe ramp surfaces 335 of the canister bracket 332 until the horizontallyextending canister tabs 352 are secured underneath the canister bracket332. As the canister 350 is turned it is forced downwardly away from thecanister lid 356 as the lower rim 349 of the lid removal bracket 338,including the slightly elevated portion 370, pushes upwardly relative tothe canister 350, thereby loosening the attachment between the canister350 and the canister lid 356. The canister lid 356 is not removed bythis action it is merely loosened. FIG. 6 illustrates an initialposition of the canister 350 secured to the canister bracket 332 withthe tabs 352 rotated in a locked position.

[0038] As seen in FIGS. 7-9, the canister bracket 332 and the lidremoval bracket 338 rotate the canister 350 in the same direction butfrom different locations thereby forcing the canister lid 356 from thecanister 350 and rotating the canister 350 to a drainage position. Oncethe canister 350 is rotated 90 degrees, as illustrated in FIG. 8, thecanister lid 356 is completely removed from the canister 350 andsupported by the lid removal bracket 338. As illustrated in FIG. 9, thecanister bracket 332 and lid removal bracket 338 continue to rotateuntil the canister 350 is rotated 180 degrees from the initial positionand the canister lid 356 is positioned to drop by gravity, guided byupright projections 374, into the disposal collection tray 328positioned above the sink 320. As the canister 350 is rotated, itscontents empty into the sink 320.

[0039] A spray system located within the sink and housing next applies acleaning solution to the canister 350. As illustrated in FIG. 2, thespray system includes a telescoping nozzle 318 and a rotating nozzle319. The telescoping nozzle 318 is positioned in the bottom of the sink320. The telescoping nozzle 318 extends up into the inverted canister350 once the flushing cycle is activated. A solution is sprayed out ofthe telescoping nozzle 318 to clean the inside of the canister 350.Rotating nozzle 319 is positioned near the back of the sink 320. Therotating nozzle 319 sprays the solution on the outside of the canister350 thereby cleaning the outside of the canister 350. Once the spraysystem has cleaned the canister 350, the canister 350 is rotated back toits initial position and it is ready for removal.

[0040] An alternative canister rotating mechanism is illustrated ingeneral at 390 in FIG. 10A. The rotating mechanism of FIG. 10A issimilar to FIG. 3 except, that the removal bracket 392 includes a lidgrip 394. The canister lid 397, in the alternative embodiment, includesa horizontal lid removal tab 396. The lid removal tab 396 is molded withthe canister lid 397 and extends in a radial direction from the edge ofthe canister lid 397. As the canister 398 is turned into its lockedposition, upon insertion, the horizontal lid removal tab 396 slides inthe lid grip 394. As illustrated in FIG. 10B, the lid removal bracket392 supports the lid grip 394 as the lid grip 394 clamps the lid removaltab 396. The lid grip 394 clamps the lid removal tab 396 such that thelid grip 394 is connected to the bottom of the lid removal tab 396 nearthe inner edge of the lid removal tab 396 next to the canister lid 397and the lid grip 394 is connected to the top of the lid removal tab 396near the outer edge of the lid removal tab 396. As the lid removalbracket 392 rotates, the lid grip 394 rotates until the canister lid 397is no longer held in position by the lid grip 394. Thus, the canisterlid 397 falls into a disposal collection tray.

[0041] Operation

[0042] During a surgical procedure, a tube is connected between thevacuum port 359 and a vacuum source. A second tube is connected to thepatient port 358 at one end while the other end is utilized by thesurgeon or nurse to withdraw blood and fluids from the patient. When thesurgical procedure is completed, or the canister is full, the tubing isdisconnected from the vacuum and patient ports. The vacuum and patientports are then capped so that the canister may be transported to andinserted in the rotating bracket mounted in the cabinet 312.

[0043] With the canister secured within the canister bracket the cabinetlid 316 (FIG. 1) may be closed. This allows the drainage and flushingcycles to commence when the operator pushes a “start” button on thecontrol panel 326. When the “start” button is pushed the rotatingmechanism rotates the canister from the initial position illustrated inFIG. 6 to the drainage position illustrated in FIG. 9, and the canisterlid is rotated simultaneously from the initial position illustrated inFIG. 6 to the removal position illustrated in FIG. 9. Alternatively,closing the cabinet lid may automatically activate the rotatingmechanism so that the canister is rotated into the drainage position andthe canister lid is rotated to the removal position. Either way bloodand other fluids drain out of the canister into the sink 320 and downdrain 324.

[0044] A timed delay of the commencement of the flush cycle is providedafter the canister is rotated into the drainage position. This delaypermits substantially complete drainage of the liquid from the canisterbefore the flush cycle commences. This delay may be accomplished througheither an automated control system or manually via separate buttons forrotating the canister and commencing the flushing cycle. In the case ofthe latter, the operator may merely wait for the canister to drainbefore pushing the button to commence the flushing cycle.

[0045] Commencement of the flushing cycle causes the pressurizedcleaning solution to enter the canisters via the spray systems that ispositioned in the cabinet. The cleaning solution strikes the nowinverted inside bottom of the canister. As a result, the contentsremaining in the canister after drainage are disinfected and flusheddown the drain 324.

[0046] As a general guideline, it is desirable to flush the canisterwith a volume of solution equal to approximately 3 to 4 times itscapacity. The cleaning solution mixture preferably comprises water and asuitable agent for killing virus and bacteria. For example, sodiumhypochlorite (i.e., bleach) in a solution of about 1200 to 1400 partsper million with water has generally been found to be suitable. A delayof approximately 8 seconds has been found to be sufficient to drain thecanister, and a flush cycle of approximately 45 seconds has generallybeen found to be sufficient.

[0047] Upon completion of the flushing cycle, the flow of dilutedcleaning solution is stopped and the canister is rotated back to theinitial position as illustrated in FIG. 6. The canister lid may then beremoved from the disposal collection tray and the canister may beremoved from the rotating bracket by turning it clockwise to positionthe horizontally extending tabs in the notches. The operator can thenlift the canister 350 from the canister bracket 332 and out of thecabinet. The canister lid may then be disposed of and the canisteritself may be reused, if desired, at a fraction of the cost of disposingof complete canisters full of medical waste.

[0048] The solution mixture is preferably chosen to meet the particularobjectives of a disposal and flushing system. For example, disinfectionand flushing are generally the primary objectives with liquid medicalwaste containers, which for most reuse purposes do not have to becleaned to the point where they would be considered sterile, sincesterility is normally not required for liquid medical waste canisters.The lid would generally be considered “white” trash in medicalfacilities due to relatively low concentrations of liquid medical wastethereon and thus would not be subjected to the more stringentrequirements typically in place for handling and disposing of the actualliquid medical wastes.

[0049] The flushed liquid medical waste from drain 324 mixes with theeffluent from the medical facility in its plumbing drainage system andis normally discharged into a municipal sewer system at levels wellbelow the maximums permitted for medical waste effluents.

[0050] The plumbing system of FIG. 1 is illustrated schematically inFIG. 11. The plumbing system generally includes a water inlet line 20connected to a suitable pressurized water source 21, such as the normalmunicipal water service, a water tank or a water pump. A strainer 22 isprovided in the water inlet line 20 and a backflow preventer valve 24 isprovided downstream therefrom.

[0051] The water supply 28 includes a gate-type shut-off valve 30 and asolenoid-actuated valve 32 in line therewith. The water inlet line 20ultimately communicates with junction 393 that communicates via cleaningsolution injection lines 36 with an additive pump and reservoir 38, 39that are housed within cabinet 312. The reservoir preferably contains acleaning solution for killing virus and bacteria (for example bleach)and a suitable defoamer. Activation of the pump causes the additivesfrom the reservoir to mix with the water in the plumbing system so thata pressurized and diluted cleaning solution is emitted by the spraysystem in the cabinet.

[0052] An optional clot-dissolving solution source 40 communicates witha jet 42 directed into the subsink drain 324 and functions to dissolveblood clots in the drain.

[0053] A pressure flow sensor 201 monitors the flow of the solution intothe cabinet. As described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,717,a microprocessor may control valves 32 and the pump 39 to achieve thedesired additive concentration. A remotely controlled emergency shut-off211 allows the microprocessor to shut off the drain 324 as well as allfluid inputs in the event that monitored parameters are outside ofpredetermined limits. Additionally, a water flow sensor and a watertemperature sensor maybe added to monitor the system.

[0054] It is to be understood that while certain forms of the presentinvention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to belimited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described andshown.

What is claimed is:
 1. A canister for use in a liquid waste disposaldevice featuring a lid removal bracket and a canister bracket, saidcanister comprising: a) a lid including a patient port, a vacuum portand a lip adapted to be engaged by the lid removal bracket of the liquidwaste disposal device; b) a body including an open top surrounded by acircumferential rim, said circumferential rim engaged by the lid in aremovable fashion; and c) a tab attached to an exterior surface of thebody of the canister in a generally horizontal extending fashion, saidtab sized and positioned to engage the canister bracket of the liquidwaste disposal device when the canister body is positioned therein andturned about a generally vertical axis.
 2. The canister of claim 1wherein the lip of the lid surrounds a remaining portion of the lid in acircumferential fashion and has a diameter larger than a diameter of thecircumferential rim of the body of the canister.
 3. The canister ofclaim 1 wherein the lip of the lid includes a generally horizontal lidremoval tab adapted to be engaged by the lid removal bracket of theliquid waste disposal device when the canister body is placed in thecanister bracket and turned about a generally vertical axis.
 4. Thecanister of claim 1 wherein the lid engages the circumferential rim ofthe canister in a press-fit fashion.
 5. The canister of claim 1 whereinsaid body is constructed from polycarbonate plastic.
 6. The canister ofclaim 1 wherein the lid is molded from polystyrene plastic.